Celebrating What Travel Means to the USA,the Raystown Lake Region and You

Going on an adventure. Relaxing. Meeting new business partners. Learning. Supporting local businesses and jobs. These are just a few examples of what travel means to people and to communities.

This year, to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) 2015, May 2-10, the tourism and hospitality industry is underscoring how travel affects us all with the theme: “Travel is ___________.”

Travel is vacationing. Travel is making memories. Travel is essential to the U.S. economy. Travel is a job creator. No matter how you complete the sentence, the bottom line message is that travel is vital to our country and our lives, and it has meaning for everyone.

There are many studies out now that tell us we all need time “away”. It is important to decompress, de-stress and de-light in life…for your well-being! Go visit somewhere new. In the Raystown Lake Region or elsewhere – go have some “moments” and make some memories. Studies show that you’ll be glad that you did.

National Travel and Tourism Week is the perfect time to celebrate what travel means to you. Through nationwide events— from rallies to media outreach to proclamations from local governments—NTTW champions the power of the tourism industry for this week and beyond. Travel and tourism professionals, from communities small and large, come together to promote the incredible contributions their markets and travel-­related businesses make to strengthen the economy and our workforce.

The theme “Travel is __________.” customizes the unique impact of the U.S. travel industry on the fabric of America. Destinations, including ours here in the Raystown Lake Region of Pennsylvania, are defining travel as it specifically contributes to our local economies, businesses and lives.

We encourage you to comment with your thoughts and take part in NTTW by sharing what “Travel is __________.” to you during May 2-10, 2015. You might choose to write a guest column for your local newspaper. Contact a member of Congress. Or just follow along on social media, via @USTravel and #NTTW2015. Remember to tag @Raystown_Lake or use #Raystown (if it fits with your posts) … because your conversation is important to us.

We’ve all heard about seeing the world through rose-colored glasses. The fact is, we all see things through different lenses, and seeing the Raystown Lake Region is no exception. Whether it’s by land, by water, through the air, or in the images we share, each angle has its unique perspective.

Whether it’s for time off or a time out, Raystown is glad you’re here. We all see Raystown differently. We mark our calendars differently. For some, it is a week or two at the lake; for others, it’s an evening walk to Ridenour Overlook to remind us of how beautiful the region is.

It’s a matter of opinion and a matter of taste – lucky for us, Raystown is appealing to any agenda. If you only have a weekend to look out from behind a mug of coffee in to the mountains, then you can. If you have a week to be pulled behind a boat on a tube or water skis, seeing nothing but water and wake, then load up! An afternoon to look over your bicycle handlebars at some of the northeast’s finest single-track trails – welcome to a few hours of just what the doctor ordered!

Maybe you’re a new recruit and haven’t been here before. We invite you to just make sure you have your sunglasses and your camera; you’re in for a treat. The Raystown Lake Region welcomes nearly two million visitors per year to the lake and the public land surrounding it for world-class fishing, hiking, hunting, mountain biking and boating.

Take time away from the lake area and enjoy the arts, culture and heritage that thrive throughout Huntingdon County, PA. Huntingdon County is full of amazing attractions and roadside wonders, as well as some fantastic places to eat and shop.

We invite you to share your “point of view” with us! Do you see the Lake through swimming goggles; through a video camera lens; from an aerial tour? Is your favorite way to see Raystown by looking out under a mountain bike helmet? What about the way it looks from an innertube behind a speedboat; in a hot tub on a houseboat; from a campchair, a kayak, or a cabin window? For every beauty, there is an eye somewhere to see it and the Raystown Region has something of beauty for everyone to enjoy.

Like this:

RAYSTOWN LAKE, Pa. —The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Raystown Lake announces that they will not be enrolled in the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) for the 2013­2014 hunting season. The DMAP is administered by the PA Game Commission and allows additional deer harvest tags in designated areas to allow for greater forest regeneration. DMAP coupons will not be available for the eastern side of Raystown Lake also known as Area 89.

Field observations show the objectives of establishing adequate regeneration throughout Raystown’s forests has been successful. Deer populations are constantly changing so the Corps will continue to closely monitor Raystown’s deer herd using thermal infrared data and vegetative browse surveys to determine DMAP applicability for future seasons.

This decision also supports the intent of the PA Game Commission’s Executive Order regarding confirmed cases of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) found in Blair and Bedford Counties. CWD Disease Mgmt Areas #2 (DMA 2) includes all Corps owned property on the western side of Raystown Lake. Hunters should become familiar with the Executive Order’s restrictions for Disease Management Areas (DMA) such as prohibitions on feeding of deer, the use of urine­based lures while hunting, and transportation of specific cervid carcass parts out of the DMA. The potential for a decrease in deer populations from CWD exists so the Corps sees no need to further decrease the deer populations at Raystown until further results are found over the 2013­2014 hunting season.

All authorized hunting locations at Raystown Lake will continue to be open to normal hunting activities and hunters may continue to harvest does using a 4A tag and bucks using their antlered tag.